Ringneck and Alexandrine Care Sheet - The Unusual Pet Vets€¦ · Ringneck and Alexandrine parrots...
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www.unusualpetvets.com.au Ringneck and Alexandrine parrot care! Ringneck and Alexandrine parrots are fascinating, inquisitive birds that can make very good pets in the right home. Many are very playful and vocal. Ringneck parrots are available in a wide range of colours and mutations. Sexual dimorphism (a visual difference between males and females) is evident in mature males when they form a ring at the base of the neck. The ring usually forms after or around 18-24 months of age. Prior to this they can be difficult to sex visually which is where DNA or endoscopic sexing comes in. DNA sexing is generally preferred and can be performed by taking 1 drop of blood from your parrot. Males and females of either species can make great pets and the sex of the bird doesn’t generally impact how good of a pet they will make. Diet - Every bird is different and has differing dietary requirements so for your own tailored dietary plan please contact us. General guidelines for ringnecks and alexandrine parrots can be found below: • 40-70% premium commercial parrot pelleted diet • 10-35% vegetables (recommended vegetables include: capsicum, broccoli, chili, corn, carrot, zucchini, squash, spinach, pumpkin, sweet potato, beans and peas) and sprouted seed. • 10-40% fruits (i.e. melons, strawberries, banana, blue berries, grapes, peaches, pear, apple). Please ensure that all stone fruits and apples are free of their seeds. • 0-15% quality commercial seed mix. • 1-2% snacks for training and as treats (unsalted nuts (i.e. macadamia, cashew and walnut), pasta, eggs and brown rice.) Housing: We advise a good quality powder coated or stainless steel cage of an appropriate size. Some painted cages can contain lead elements which can be toxic to your bird so please take care when selecting your cage. Cages that have been galvanized with a zinc coating can also cause problems so please select carefully. Stainless steel or ceramic bowls are generally recommended as these materials are not porous making cleaning easier and more effective. Plastic bowls can become porous after a while and can cause problems if bacteria build up in these areas.
Transcript of Ringneck and Alexandrine Care Sheet - The Unusual Pet Vets€¦ · Ringneck and Alexandrine parrots...
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RingneckandAlexandrineparrotcare!
RingneckandAlexandrineparrotsarefascinating,inquisitivebirdsthatcanmakeverygoodpetsintherighthome.Manyareveryplayfulandvocal.Ringneckparrotsareavailableinawiderangeofcoloursandmutations.
Sexualdimorphism(avisualdifferencebetweenmalesandfemales)isevidentinmaturemaleswhen they forma ringat thebaseof theneck.The ringusually formsafteroraround18-24monthsofage.PriortothistheycanbedifficulttosexvisuallywhichiswhereDNAorendoscopicsexingcomesin. DNA sexing is generally preferred and can beperformedbytaking1dropofbloodfromyourparrot.
Malesandfemalesofeitherspeciescanmakegreatpetsand the sex of the bird doesn’t generally impact howgoodofapettheywillmake.
Diet - Every bird is different and has differing dietaryrequirements so for your own tailored dietary planpleasecontactus.Generalguidelinesforringnecksandalexandrineparrotscanbefoundbelow:
• 40-70%premiumcommercialparrotpelleteddiet• 10-35% vegetables (recommended vegetables include: capsicum, broccoli, chili, corn,
carrot,zucchini,squash,spinach,pumpkin,sweetpotato,beansandpeas)andsproutedseed.
• 10-40% fruits (i.e. melons, strawberries, banana, blue berries, grapes, peaches, pear,apple).Pleaseensurethatallstonefruitsandapplesarefreeoftheirseeds.
• 0-15%qualitycommercialseedmix.• 1-2%snacksfortrainingandastreats(unsaltednuts(i.e.macadamia,cashewandwalnut),
pasta,eggsandbrownrice.)
Housing:Weadviseagoodqualitypowdercoatedorstainlesssteelcageofanappropriatesize.Somepaintedcagescancontainleadelementswhichcanbetoxictoyourbirdsopleasetakecarewhenselectingyourcage.Cagesthathavebeengalvanizedwithazinccoatingcanalsocauseproblemssopleaseselectcarefully.
Stainlesssteelorceramicbowlsaregenerallyrecommendedasthesematerialsarenotporousmakingcleaningeasierandmoreeffective.Plasticbowlscanbecomeporousafterawhileandcancauseproblemsifbacteriabuildupintheseareas.
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Perchesofvarioussizesareimportantforexerciseofthetoesandfeethealth.Theyalsohelptopromotethenaturalwearoftheirtoenails.Natural
perchesfromnativetreesareidealastheygenerallyvaryinsizeanyway.
Pleasedonotprovidestringorropetoysastheyoftenwillfrayovertimeandcancauseagastrointestinalobstructionifswallowed.
Ifyouarefeedingabalanceddiet,thencuttlefishandothersupplementsarenotneeded.
Environmentalenrichmentishighlyrecommendedandencouraged.Simplethingslikeutilizingcardboardtoiletrollstohidefoodcanprovidehoursofentertainmentformanybirds.
Itisimportantthatyourbirdgetsenoughsleepaslong-daylightexposurecanstimulateexcessivemoultingandincreasedreproductiveactivity.Werecommendyoukeeptothenaturaldaylength.Ifyourbirdiskeptinsideinawell-litarea,thenyoucancoverthecagewhenthesungoesdownandplacetheminadarkroomtoensurethattheirdaylengthisnottoolong.
Commondiseases:
Oneofthemostcommondiseasesthatweseeinthesespeciesisanupsetgastrointestinaltract.Theywilloftenpresentforregurgitation,vomitingordiarrhoea.Ifyouseeanyofthesesignswerecommendaconsultationastherearemanydifferentcausesandifleftuntreatedyoumaybeputtingyourbird’slifeatrisk.
Upperrespiratorytractinfectionischaracterizedbysneezingoroculardischargeandiscommoninyoungbirds.Onceagainitishighlyadvisedtobringtheminforanappointmentastherearearangeofdifferentcausesofupperrespiratorytractdisease.Chlamydiainfectioniscommoninyoungbirds,thisisaseriousdiseasethatcanbetransferredtootherbirdsANDhumans.
RingnecksandAlexandrineparrotsaregenerallyverycuriousandsometimesgetthemselvesintotroublewith foreignobjects. It isquite common for them toeator chewon items that theyshouldn’t(jewelry,plastictoys,ropetoys,electricalcordsetc.).Ifyouareconcernedthatyour
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birdmayhaveeatenorchewedonsomethingthattheyshouldn’thave,thenpleasegetintouchwithus.
Reproductivediseasesandbehaviouralproblemsarealsoquitecommon.
Ifyouareatallconcernedaboutyourbirdpleasegetintouchwithus.
Veterinarycare:
Regularcheck-upsevery6-12monthsareimportant,asbirdsareverygoodathidinganyillnessesthattheyhave.Thesecheck-upsallowproblemstobedetectedearlybeforetheyworsen.
Microchipping isalsohighly recommendedaswesee many birds that escape each year.Microchipping allows your contact details to beeasily found if your bird is handed in to anyveterinaryclinicorgoodrescuefacility.Weuseaspecialized small microchip that is inserted intoyourbird’spectoralmuscle;thisisaquick,simpleprocedurethatcanbeperformedinaconsultationtimeslot.
Ifyouhaveanyfurtherquestionsaboutyourparrotpleasedon’thesitatetocontactus.
